Vernacular vs. Idiom

Vernacular vs. Idiom — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Vernacular and Idiom

Vernacularnoun

The language of a people or a national language.

A vernacular of the United States is English.

Idiomnoun

A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, person, or group of people.

Vernacularnoun

Everyday speech or dialect, including colloquialisms, as opposed to standard, literary, liturgical, or scientific idiom.

Street vernacular can be quite different from what is heard elsewhere.

Idiomnoun

A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context etc.

Vernacularnoun

Language unique to a particular group of people; jargon, argot.

For those of a certain age, hiphop vernacular might just as well be a foreign language.

Idiomnoun

An established expression whose meaning is not deducible from the literal meanings of its component words, often peculiar to a given language.

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Vernacularnoun

(Roman Catholicism) The indigenous language of a people, into which the words of the Mass are translated.

Vatican II allowed the celebration of the mass in the vernacular.

Idiomnoun

An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.

Vernacularadjective

Of or pertaining to everyday language, as opposed to standard, literary, liturgical, or scientific idiom.

Idiomnoun

(programming) A programming construct or phraseology that is characteristic of the language.

Vernacularadjective

Belonging to the country of one's birth; one's own by birth or nature; native; indigenous.

a vernacular disease

Idiomnoun

a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language

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Vernacularadjective

(architecture) Of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported.

Idiomnoun

the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people;

the immigrants spoke an odd dialect of Englishhe has a strong German accent

Vernacularadjective

(art) Connected to a collective memory; not imported.

Idiomnoun

the style of a particular artist or school or movement;

an imaginative orchestral idiom

Vernacularnoun

a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves);

they don't speak our lingo

Idiomnoun

an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up

Vernacularnoun

the everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language)

Vernacularadjective

being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language;

common parlancea vernacular termvernacular speakersthe vulgar tongue of the massesthe technical and vulgar names for an animal species